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Musharraf declares to build more dams including Kalabagh, Akori
Gilgit: President General Pervez Musharraf on Wednesday performed the ground-breaking of $6.5 billion Diamir- Bhasha dam and declared that all dams including Kalabagh will be built under the "2016 Water Vision" to meet the country's growing water and energy requirements.
"Water and energy are matters of life and death for us. We have to build all dams," he said at the ceremony to mark the start of construction work of the first dam in 30 years.
"We have lagged far behind and have to work at a fast pace to catch up with the rest of the world," the President said. The Diamir-Bhasha project is part of President Musharraf's "water vision" that also envisages construction of Kalabagh, Akori, Munda and Kuram Tangi dams by the year 2016.
Referring to the construction of dozens of dams in other countries every year, the President regretted that the past leadership lacked vision and interest to construct big water reservoirs for meeting future requirements.
The President assured that the government would remove apprehensions of NWFP and Sindh vis a vis water issues and said the country would move ahead with the support of the nation. "With the support of the nation, we shall move forward and acheive the goal of sustainable development," he said at the ceremony, attended by chief ministers of NWFP,Sindh and Balochistan. Punjab's Law Minister represented the provincial government, as chief minister of the province is out of the country.
He said if there were any controversy on other dams, the work on Bhasha dam could have been started in 1990s and the dam would have been completed by now. Emphasising the urgent need of constructing major reservoirs the President said water and energy were needed for agricultural and industrial development and to catch up with the world. "We need water to develop our agriculture while cheap energy is needed for the industrial development," he added.
The President, however, regretted the fact that Pakistan was producing a mere 6000 mw electricity through hydropower against the available capacity of generating 40,000 mw. He alluded to the setting up of 14 IPPs (Independent Power Producers) in 1994 which were selling Rs.7 per unit of electricity as against Rs. 1 per unit, generated throught hydro- power. "The entire nation is suffering from this," the President said and vowed to convert the losses caused by expensive electricity into a success by constructing major water reservoirs.
Courtesy Geo